Escomb Saxon Church The Most Distinguished Surname Byles Certificate No.3467552017224 Copyright 1998-2017 Swyrich Corporation. All Rights Reserved www.houseofnames.com 888-468-7686 Table of Contents Surname History Origins 3 Ancient History 3 Spelling Variations 3 Early History 3 Early Notables 4 Life in Ireland 4 The Great Migration 5 Current Notables 5 Historic Events 6 Surname Symbolism Introduction 8 Motto 9 Shield 9 Crest 12 Further Readings and Bibliography Appendix - Notable List 13 Appendix - Historic Event List 15 Appendix - Settler List 16 Bibliography 18 Citations 22 Certificate No.3467552017224 Copyright 1998-2017 Swyrich Corporation. All Rights Reserved www.houseofnames.com 888-468-7686 Origins The name Byles is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It is a name for someone who works as a maker of polearms or halberds and billhooks as these were common weapons in early times. The name could also be a baptismal name derived from son of William, although this latter origin is less likely. Ancient History While your recent ancestors and famous people bearing your surname may be known to you, it is often a family's distant past which fades into the unknown over the centuries. Research has shown that this surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin. Few cultures have had the lasting impact on English society as that of the Anglo-Saxons. The Byles family history draws upon this heritage as the bearers of the name influenced and were influenced by the history of the English nation. Historians have carefully scrutinized such ancient manuscripts as the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 A.D., the Ragman Rolls (1291-1296), the Curia Regis Rolls, the Pipe Rolls, the Hearth Rolls, parish registers, baptismals, tax records and other ancient documents and found the first record of the name Byles in Somerset, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066. Spelling Variations Many different spellings of the surname were found in the archives researched. Although the spelling Byles occurred in many manuscripts, from time to time the surname was spelt Bill, Bills and Billes, and these variations in spelling frequently occurred, even between father and son. It was also common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname. In the 16th century the famous playwright William Shakespeare signed his own name with different spellings and legal documents added further to the possible variations. "Shakespeare," "Shakespere," "Shakespear," "Shakspere" and "Shaxspere" were all used in reference to this famous individual. Scribes, church officials and the bearers of a name spelled words as they sounded rather than adhering to any spelling rules. Certificate No.3467552017224 Copyright 1998-2017 Swyrich Corporation. All Rights Reserved www.houseofnames.com 888-468-7686 Early History The Saxons were a Teutonic tribe originally from northern Germany who began to settle in England in about the year 400 A.D. Their first settlements were in Kent, on the south east coast. Gradually, they probed north and westward from Kent and during the next four hundred years forced the ancient Britons back into Wales and Cornwall to the west. They won territories as far north as Lancashire and Yorkshire, pushing the Britons into Cumbria and Southern Scotland. The Angles, another Teutonic tribe, occupied the eastern coast, the south folk in Suffolk, the north folk in Norfolk. The Angles sometimes invaded as far north as Northumbria and the Scottish border. The Angle and Saxon cultures blended together as they came to dominate the country. For hundreds of years England was comprised of five independent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until unification in the 9th century. By 1066, England, under Harold, was enjoying reasonable peace and prosperity. However, the Norman invasion from France and their victory at the Battle of Hastings meant that the Anglo-Saxon landowners lost their property to the invaders. The Saxons were restive under Norman rule, and many moved northward to the midlands, Lancashire and Yorkshire, where Norman influence was less pervasive. Rebellious Norman nobles frequently joined them in their flight northward. As peace was restored, the Byles surname emerged as that of a notable English family in the county of Somerset. John Bill had manor and estates recorded in 1320, and by 1500 they had branched to Hertfordshire when the Reverend William Bill of Ashwell in that shire was Lord Almoner to Queen Elizabeth I at the end of the 16th century. His daughter married into the prominent Samwells of Upton Hall. The Bills also acquired Farley Hall. They moved north to Scotland and Thomas Bill held estates in Auchingrey in Carnwath in Lanarkshire in 1667. Early Notables Distinguished members of the family include Reverend William Bill; and William Bill (c. 1505-1561), Master of St Johns College, Cambridge (1547-c.1551), Vice-Chancellor of University of Cambridge (1548), twice Master of Trinity College, Cambridge (1551-1553) and (1558-1561), Provost of Eton College (1558-1561) and Dean of Westminster (1560-1561). Certificate No.3467552017224 Copyright 1998-2017 Swyrich Corporation. All Rights Reserved www.houseofnames.com 888-468-7686 Life in Ireland Over the centuries, turmoil was not unknown in England. Disputes over royal succession, baronial revolts, fear of foreign invasion, and wars with neighbors in Scotland and Wales, all created periods of strife. However, these problems had largely been resolved by the Tudor monarchs. The succession of the Stuart monarchs saw the rise of political problems which effected even the common man. Conflicts between the king and parliament, and between the Catholics and the Protestants, along with plague and the great fire in London, made the 17th century a turbulent time. It is not surprising then to find that many families were banished or willfully left England. During this period Irish lands were granted to Oliver Cromwell's soldiers and to Protestant settlers. While some of the confiscated lands were returned to their owners during the reign of King Charles II, most remained in the hands of newcomers. In 1890, a birth census of English families in Ireland was taken. From that census, it was estimated that there were over 224 people bearing the surname Bill throughout Ireland; about 80 percent were living in the province of Ulster where the families were found in Antrim. [1] The Great Migration Turmoil at home made the New World appear attractive to many families in England. They immigrated to Canada, the United States, Australia, and some moved to continental Europe. Members of the Byles family risked the hazardous voyage to start a new life in new lands. This decision to emigrate was never made casually, for while there were hardships at home, the journey across the sea was so perilous that up to 40 percent of a ship's passengers would not reach their destination. Settlers • William Byles, who landed in Delaware in 1679 [2] • Mr. Mather D. D. Byles Jr., U.E. born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 [3] As well as 43 more in the Appendix. Current Notables By the time of the American Revolution (1775-1783), the colonial population had reached approximately 2.5 million people. Black slaves constituted roughly 22 percent of the total; about 250,000 were Scots-Irish; approximately 200,000 were Germans. Protestants formed the overwhelming majority of white people, although approximately 25,000 Roman Catholics and about 1000 Jews also lived in the colonies. Approximately 50,000 people loyal to the British crown made their way north to Canada following the American Revolution. They were known as the United Empire Loyalists, and were granted lands in Nova Scotia, along the St. Lawrence River and along the Niagara Peninsula. Certificate No.3467552017224 Copyright 1998-2017 Swyrich Corporation. All Rights Reserved www.houseofnames.com 888-468-7686 • Brigadier Gary Byles CSC, Australian Army officer, Commander of JTF Gold/Op Gold • Tim Byles CBE, British Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools (2006-) • Mather Byles (1706-1788) American clergyman, grandson of Increase Mather, known for his quote: "Which is better-to be ruled by one tyrant three thousand miles away or by three thousand tyrants one mile away?" • Mather Byles II (1734-1814) American Congregational clergyman at New London, Connecticut until 1768 who settled as a Royalist in Halifax, Nova Scotia after the War of Independence • Sir John Barnard Byles (1801-1884) British barrister, judge and author • Sir William Pollard Byles (1839-1917) British newspaper owner and Liberal politician, Member of Parliament for Shipley (1892-1895) and for Salford North ( 1906-1917) • Marie Beuzeville Byles (1900-1979) English-born, Australian conservationist, the first practicing female solicitor in New South Wales, mountaineer, explorer, feminist and author • William Douglas Byles (1914-1988) Canadian broadcast pioneer, inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Hall of Fame in 1997, father of Alannah Myles • Kerrie Byles (b.1948) also known as "Junior Byles", "Chubby", or "King Chubby", a Jamaican reggae singer • Daniel Alan "Dan" Byles FRGS, MP (1974-2010) English mountaineer, sailor, ocean rower, polar adventurer and politician, Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire (2010-), he took part in the first ever Atlantic Rowing Race in 1997 As well as 11 more in the Appendix. Historic Events • Father Thomas Roussel Davids Byles (1870-1912) English Catholic priest who remained on board the RMS Titanic as she was sinking hearing confessions and giving absolution As well as 0 more in the Appendix. Certificate No.3467552017224 Copyright 1998-2017 Swyrich Corporation. All Rights Reserved www.houseofnames.com 888-468-7686 Certificate No.3467552017224 Copyright 1998-2017 Swyrich Corporation. All Rights Reserved www.houseofnames.com 888-468-7686 Symbolism Introduction The practice of representing people with symbols is ancient, and in England this habit evolved with feudal society into a system of distinctive devices on shields.